Guns N’ Roses’ Richard Fortus on Axl Rose: ‘He’s All About the Music’

Though he has become more active on social media in recent years, Axl Rose remains one of the more mysterious rock stars in the music scene. But in a new interview, Guns N' Roses guitarist Richard Fortus has given a little more insight into Rose's fierce artistic integrity.

Speaking with About.com, Fortus reveals Rose to be someone who is truly about the music. "He's just one of the cats that just live it. He always thinks musically," says the guitarist about Rose. "Music is all that matters to him. I've never met anyone with as much musical and artistic integrity as Axl Rose."

Fortus adds, "People talk about not doing stuff for money, but he really will not do something strictly for money. He's all about the music. It's gotta be about the music. That's why he doesn't do interviews, because it's not about the music. And to him, that's the only thing that matters. I think that's incredibly admirable. Axl encompasses in a lot of ways what's missing from rock 'n' roll now -- his mystique and he's an enigma."

The guitarist says that sometimes leads to misunderstanding and a one-sided viewpoint as other former Guns N' Roses members have commented on the band while Rose has remained quiet. "He won't defend himself. People like Slash know that. They know Axl's not going to defend himself in the press. So they'll say whatever they want about him know he's not going to refute it," says Fortus. "Early on, he got screwed over so much by journalists over and over again to the point where he won't do it. People are gonna say whatever the f--k they want to say. But he's at a place where it's not about anything other than the music."

As for Guns N' Roses' current state, the guitarist says that things are "pretty up in the air" at the moment, adding, "The last I heard they wanted to finish up the recordings that we have and put them out next year and start touring. But it has been a while since I've heard from anybody in that camp as far as management or Axl. So I really don't know." He adds, "There's a lot of stuff recorded that is in the can. I have no idea what will be used or scrapped or if we'll end up redoing it. I really have no idea as far as what's going on with that stuff."